The present invention relates generally to a method and apparatus of cleaning industrial systems while they remain operational. More particularly, the present invention relates to a method and apparatus of cleaning pipes of either negatively or positively pressure-charged industrial systems, such as air flues, air scrubbers, quenchers, forced air fans, liquid containment and handling devices, and the like, while such systems are still in operation and subsequently preventing flow-back of contaminants, cleaning liquids, gases, hazardous materials and the like, during such cleaning and continuous system operation.
Many industrial systems that use or produce liquid hazardous materials have a need to insure that these materials are not introduced into the environment. Due to the reactive nature of these systems, debris build up can occur within the transport mechanisms of such materials. The necessity for industrial systems to be cleaned without spillage of hazardous materials is thus paramount. Furthermore, the need for these systems to remain operational at all times can is critical to the dependent manufacturing process. Lastly, the need for these systems to have an effective flow is important to the reactive process and underlying efficiency of the system. Therefore, the option of cleaning these systems online with the ability to prevent exit of debris, or to move the debris into a container without spillage, is very cost effective to industries that deal with hazardous materials.
Furthermore, many industrial systems that produce waste gases wherein a majority of the encapsulated particulates and toxins must be removed before the effluent gas is released into the air. For example, coal burning facilities incorporate air scrubbers in order to remove sulfur dioxide (SO2), particulates, and other contaminants from the effluent air stream before being released into the atmosphere. These cleansing systems, whose main purpose is to reduce pollution and particulate flow into the environment, are often under high internal pressures and temperatures and are very complex and subsequently costly to maintain.
However, inherent with their main task of cleansing effluent air streams, particulate and other pollutant build-ups occur internally within the cleansing systems themselves. This is generally seen as a xe2x80x9ccakingxe2x80x9d or buildup of debris along the interior portions of the air handling system""s piping. The more particulate and pollutant buildup within the system, the less efficient the system is at achieving its desired cleansing goals. As such, frequent cleaning of the air handling systems is required.
Since these air handling systems are generally pressurized, entail high temperature gases and have inherently dangerous toxins within the systems, in order to properly sustain these air handling systems and to ensure their efficiency, the systems must frequently be shut down to a non-operative state and thus cleaned or maintained. However, this also means that any connected and dependent systems, such as the manufacturing or industrial processes which are serviced by the air handling units, must also temporarily be shut down while the air handling units are cleaned. This process thus becomes extremely expensive to the facilityxe2x80x94not only from the shut-down and cleaning of the air handling system costs, but more attributable to the lost productivity of the dependent industrial systems. This process can further sometimes exceed days.
Many industrial systems utilize forced air throughout. Large forced draft fans are used to produce air flow, or vacuum within these systems. Build up can occur on the fan blades causing the fans to run out of balance. This can severely limit the life of the fan and can affect proper air flow. Regular online cleaning of these fans can extend the life of the fan and help insure even distribution of air throughout the system.
As such, some there have been attempts to expedite the cleaning processes of pipes, piping systems, and draft fans. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,263,535, to Wang, issued on Jul. 24, 2001 (""535 patent), discloses an apparatus for cleaning caking adhered on the inner wall of pipes of a waste gas treatment system. The ""535 patent teaches the ability of using a retractably movable scrubbing device with metal brush wheels or bristles. The scrubbing device is moved into the pipe via a flexible rod and the rod can be further retractably and automatically received in a chamber by an automatic external winding machine with incorporated guide wheels. The caking on the internal surface of a pipe is subsequently removed by using a rotational movement in conjunction with longitudinal movements of the scrubbing device, thus producing a xe2x80x9cscrubbingxe2x80x9d effect. The resultant debris is physically removed from the pipes by utilizing optional vacuum attachments. As such, the scrubbing device relies on the friction interaction between the metal brush wheels or bristles and the interior surface of the pipe to be cleaned in order to achieve its cleansing goals. However, limitations of the ""535 patent include that it cannot be utilized while the waste gas system is under a pressurized state. As such, the whole system must be shut down prior to commencing the internal cleaning of the piping system, and thus any dependent manufacturing or production systems must also be shut down. Furthermore, with the use of the scrubbing device attached to the end of a flexible rod, the scrubbing device must be repeatedly moved within the pipe to create a xe2x80x9cscrubbingxe2x80x9d action to ensure adequate cleaning of the interior surface. However, this process is very time consuming and does not ensure adequate cleaning. The present invention overcomes such limitations by, for example, using a sealed connection where a high-pressure fluid hose enters the interior of the system to be cleaned. Such a sealed connection ensures that the cleansing process can occur while the system to be cleaned is still operational and thus does not necessitate system shut-down. This also has the benefit of ensuring that the operator will not be placed in harm of being contaminated with the waste cleaning by-product flow-back or hot and toxic waste gas emissions. Furthermore, the present invention utilizes a high-pressure liquid cleaning mechanism with an enhanced 360xc2x0 degree cleaning radius. This design further ensures adequate and proper cleaning by not relying on a continuous rotational or longitudinal movement producing a xe2x80x9cscrubbingxe2x80x9d action within the pipe.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,966,767, to Lu et al., issued on Oct. 19, 1999 (""767 patent), discloses a pipe cleaning device for cleaning the interior surfaces of pipes on a waste gas treatment system. The ""767 patent teaches the use of a rigid rod with a hollowed interior. The proximate end of the rod has a handle while the distal end contains a scraper assembly. Furthermore, the ""767 patent contains a three-plated sealing mechanism to ensure that the pipe cleaning device creates an air-tight seal around the periphery of the pipe to be cleaned. This enables the cleaning operation to occur while the pipe system is operational and thus does not necessitate system shut-down. The pipe cleaning device operates on a frictional function by rotating the rigid pipe handle, thus rotating the attached scraper assembly. Caking within the pipe is subsequently scraped off. Furthermore, the ""767 patent teaches the option of using a pressurized liquid, such as water or other chemicals, which can be injected within the hollow portion of the rigid rod and subsequently ejected from nozzles located near the scraper assembly. This process further enhances the cleaning ability of the ""767 patented pipe cleaning device. However, limitations of the ""767 patent include a limited reach of the scraper assembly attached to the rigid rod due to the rigid rod""s fixed length. The device can only be moved so far down the pipe before its limitation is reached. Furthermore, the ""767 patent relies heavily on the rotational movements of the scraper assembly, thus requiring a repetitive process and not ensuring an adequate cleaning operation. Also, the sizing of the scraping assembly must be specifically sized and be at least the same as the interior diameter of the pipe to be cleaned to ensure that the scraper assembly contacts the interior surface of the pipe to be cleaned. Lastly, the ""767 patent fails to properly explain how the interaction between the three-plated sealing mechanism and the rigid rod occurs and if the seal subsequently allows for the required rotational and longitudinal movement of the cleaning device while still ensuring a proper and effective seal. The present invention overcomes these limitations by, for example, allowing an enhanced reach of the high-pressure hose by not relying on a rigid rod support system; by using a nozzle jet with high-pressure ejection of a liquid, such as water or a chemical, to ensure adequate cleaning and not requiring a repetitive rotational/longitudinal scraping movement; by not requiring the high-pressuring nozzle to be specifically sized to match the interior diameter of the pipe to be cleaned, such as is required with the ""767 patent""s scraper assembly, thus allowing a greater number of pipe sizes which may be cleaned; and by using a packing gland compressor assembly to ensure a tight seal around the periphery of the high-pressure hose but also allowing rotational and longitudinal movements of the hose.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,391,289, to Adams, issued on Jul. 5, 1983 (""289 patent), discloses a check valve for a rodding out pipes. The ""289 patent is intended to be used with fluid handling systems. The ""289 patent teaches the use of a packing gland connected to a check valve when cleaning is initiated. The packing gland allows the insertion of the cleaning rod into the system while maintaining full process pressure and not necessitating system shut-down. However, limitations of the ""289 patent include its restriction to be utilized with only fluid-pressurized systems. Furthermore, the ""289 patent utilizes a rigid cleaning rod to clean debris and by-product buildup. The present invention overcomes these limitations by, for example, being more adaptable to high-pressure gas systems, such as air scrubbers and quenchers. Furthermore, the present invention utilizes a flexible high-pressure hose with a nozzle jet at the distal end to conduct the cleaning operations, and, as such, is not as limited in application as a rigid rod would be.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,987,683, to Leiman et al., issued on Nov. 23, 1999 (""683 patent), discloses a flexible pipe cleaning device and system. The ""693 patent teaches the ability of using a flexible conduit which incorporates the use of either injecting a pressurized fluid or creating a suction within a pipe to be cleaned. As such, the ""683 patent does not rely on any mechanical contact between the cleaning device and the pipe interior. However, limitations of the ""683 patent include the lack of an adequate sealing member which can be located around the periphery of the pipe to be cleaned to maintain operation of the system while the pipe is cleaned. Furthermore, the ""683 patent is intended to be used to clean the interior of conduits, gun barrels, or pipes, including drain pipes. Lastly, the ""683 patent has a short fixed length, and thus its reach within the pipe to be cleaned is severely limited. The present invention overcomes these limitations by, for example, using a gland packing component which ensures a seal around the periphery of the pipe, thus allowing the interior of the pipe to be cleaned while the system is still in operation. The present invention is also intended to be used on pressurized systems, such as air scrubbers, quenchers, and the like. Furthermore, the present invention has a greater reach due to the use of a flexible, high pressure hose.
The present invention overcomes the disadvantages and/or shortcomings of known prior art pipe cleaning methods and apparatuses and provides significant improvement thereover.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus to clean air or liquid handling devices while they are still in an operational state, thus negating the need to shut down the entire system.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus which efficiently and adequately cleans the interior of pipes.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a flexible pipe cleaning device which enhances operability and functionality.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a pipe cleaning apparatus which does not have to be the same size as the interior of the pipe to be cleaned.
The present invention is a method and apparatus designed to clean the interior of pipes of air handling devices while the air handling device is still in operation, thus negating the conventional need to shut-down the air handling system. Furthermore, the present invention can be utilized to clean hazardous liquid type devices while the device remains operational. The present invention uses a highly pressurized liquid, such as water or chemicals, to inject within the interior of the pipe, thus flushing the surface and removing air handling by-product buildup. The present invention contains a high-pressure hose which enters the piping system through a packing gland compressor which ensures an air-tight seal around the periphery of the hose and yet still allows rotational and longitudinal movements of the hose. Located at the distal end of the hose is a liquid ejection means which cleans the interior of the pipe.
The packing gland compressor is connected to a xe2x80x9cTxe2x80x9d connection, which has a pressure-relief ball valve on its base end, and is further connected to a pipe bell reducer on the other end. The bell reducer reduces the diameter of the pipe to be cleaned to the operational diameter of the packing gland compressor and high pressure hose. The bell reducer is in turn connected to a pipe extender which houses the high pressure hose liquid ejector when not in operation. Lastly, the pipe extender is attached to a last ball valve acting as the access valve assembly.
The connected components thus operate as a system access device. In summary, the present invention allows access to the interior of an operational air or liquid handling device. As such, the interior of the air or liquid handling device can be cleaned without the need to shut down the system, and subsequently any dependent industrial or manufacturing operations.